LAS CRUCES - A high-profile Congressional race in New Mexico reached a definitive end on Monday after a ballot review by Republican candidate Yvette Herrell wound to a close.

Herrell, though she says she continues to have concerns about New Mexico's absentee voting process, won't be challenging the results of the close Second Congressional District race.

Herrell's campaign had petitioned for the impoundment of more than 8,500 absentee ballots cast in Doña Ana County — a pool of ballots that proved pivotal to a win by Democratic candidate Xochitl Torres Small in November.

Torres Small won the Nov. 6 election for the U.S. House. Her victory came nearly 24 hours after polls closed and followed counting of a higher-than-usual number of absentee ballots from her home county of Doña Ana County after the clerk's office did not count them Election Night. The tally put Torres Small ahead by over 3,500 votes out of nearly 200,000 cast in the district covering southern New Mexico.

In particular, Herrell cited the state's process allowing for residents to apply for ballots online, saying it lacks the oversight that exists for someone applying in-person for a ballot.

"County clerks are simply informed when their voters have applied for absentee ballots electronically and they are provided an electronic verification that the voter is who he or she claims to be," her campaign stated. "However, there is no actual procedure in place in New Mexico law to ensure that such information is correct."

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Doña Ana County Clerk Amanda López Askin, right, discusses on Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018, the procedures for the continued counting of absentee ballots with representatives from both the Democratic Party and Republican Party. Tallying of the outstanding ballots took place at the Doña Ana County Bureau of Elections Warehouse. The results factored into the tightly contested 2nd Congressional District race.(Photo: Josh Bachman/Sun-News)

In addition, Herrell said absentee ballots lack the "minimal voter identification requirements" that in-person voting requires — which is that voters must state their name, voter registration address and birth year.

"An absentee ballot is 'checked' merely to see if there is a signature," Herrell's news release states, referring to the ballot-review process by election officials. "Ballots returned without the voter’s registration address or year of birth were accepted and counted. Ballots with incorrect registration addresses or incorrect years of birth for the voter were accepted and counted. As an example of what that difference means: If an in-person voter could not provide such information to a poll worker, he or she would be given a provisional ballot. But absentee votes without this information are counted."

Herrell, in a news release Monday, said the ballot review was sparked because on election night and afterward, "we received numerous reports of irregularities, both from poll workers as well as individual voters," which is why she opted to pursue the ballot review.

Alex Curtas, spokesperson for New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver's office, contended Herrell's announcement on Monday contained "many unfounded assertions" that could discourage people from voting over a lack of confidence in the process.

"Secretary Toulouse Oliver is confident in both the legality and the security of New Mexico’s online absentee ballot process — a process that helps increase voter participation among all eligible New Mexico voters," Curtas said.

Herrell's campaign said it plans to release a more detailed report of its findings.